The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) stands as one of the most respected and enduring certifying bodies in American medicine. Founded in 1934 at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago—where the Board continues to administer its oral examinations to this day—the ABOS was established by a committee of the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) with the mission of setting rigorous practice standards for orthopaedic surgeons. From its inception, the ABOS has operated as a private, voluntary, nonprofit, autonomous organization, dedicated above all else to serving the best interests of the public and the medical profession.
Central to the ABOS‘s identity is its mission to ensure the safe, ethical, and effective practice of orthopaedic surgery. This mission is embedded in every aspect of the Board’s work, from establishing educational standards for residents to evaluating the initial and continuing competence of practising surgeons. The phrase “do the right thing” has guided the Board of Directors for ninety years, reflecting a commitment to modernizing processes while steadfastly upholding the core value of public trust through initial and continuing certification. Notably, the ABOS is one of only 24 Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), placing it within a national framework dedicated to improving healthcare quality through the continuous professional development of physician specialists. Buy fake certificate online.
The pathway to becoming ABOS board-certified is a comprehensive and challenging journey. Candidates must first complete five years of orthopaedic surgery residency at an ACGME-accredited programme. The certification process itself is divided into two distinct parts. Part I is a computer-based written examination that assesses a candidate‘s knowledge of general orthopaedics and the application of that knowledge to clinical scenarios. In 1943, the Board decided to separate certification into Part I (Written) and Part II (Oral) Examinations—a structure that remains in place eighty years later. After passing the written exam and completing a six-month case collection period—during which candidates must perform at least 35 surgeries—surgeons become eligible for the Part II Oral Examination. The ABOS remains one of the few medical specialty boards that continues to require an in-person oral examination, along with a rigorous peer-review process, ensuring that only the most qualified surgeons earn Diplomate status.
Immigrate and Settle with American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Academic Certificate
Beyond initial certification, the ABOS established a recertification programme in 1986, replacing the previous system of lifetime certification with a 10-year Maintenance of Certification (MOC) cycle. Today, ABOS Diplomates must maintain an unrestricted medical licence, complete 240 continuing medical education credits (including at least 40 through scored self-assessment examinations), and successfully complete one of several knowledge assessment options, including the Oral Recertification Examination, a Practice-Profiled Computer-Based Examination, or the ABOS Web-Based Longitudinal Assessment Programme. The ABOS also collects and reviews surgical case lists every ten years, utilising peer-review surveys to assess professional standing and practice performance. In 2024, the Board introduced modifications to its MOC programme to increase value for Diplomates while reducing administrative burden, ensuring that recertification remains both meaningful and manageable.
The ABOS plays an equally vital role in shaping the future of the specialty through its residency education standards. The Board has introduced the ABOS Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviour (KSB) Programme, which provides assessment tools to measure resident competency as they progress through their training. The eventual goal of this programme is to enable residency directors to make informed decisions about certifying residents to sit for the Part I Examination.
The Board’s influence extends beyond certification and education into the realm of orthopaedic research. The ABOS Part II Oral Examination database has become an invaluable resource for studying surgical trends, practice patterns, and outcomes across the specialty. Researchers have utilised this database to investigate everything from the utilisation of arthroscopy during ankle fracture fixation to attrition rates among orthopaedic residents before board certification. With more than 28,000 orthopaedic surgeons currently certified by the ABOS, the Board has created a public-facing website—My Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon—allowing patients to verify the certification status of their surgeons and learn what board certification truly signifies.
As it celebrates over nine decades of service, the ABOS continues to adapt to sweeping changes across the field of medicine while remaining faithful to its founding mission. Through its unwavering commitment to physician self-regulation, rigorous assessment, and lifelong learning, the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery remains the gold standard for orthopaedic certification, providing patients and their families with the assurance that their orthopaedic surgeon is knowledgeable, skilled, ethical, and acting in their best interests.